National Lampoon Asks … Are Americans Too Dumb to Vote?

OK We know that Caryn (Whoopie Goldberg) is too stupid to vote,but what about the rest of America. National Lampoon decided to ask Americans some basic facts about the US and World affairs and the results are pretty scary. In recent political discourse, much has been made of whether Barack Obama is too inexperienced to lead, or whether John McCain is too old to be elected. But in all the discussion, one question has been overlooked: Are Americans too dumb to make that decision? Or more personally: Are you too dumb to vote? The answer may lie in the newest book from National Lampoon, How Dumb Are You? The Great American Stupidity Quiz. The book contains quiz questions that every U.S. citizen should be able to answer — but often can’t. It lets readers assess their own personal mental failings and demonstrates how much basic information about the world and their country many Americans have utterly failed to absorb. Prior to publication, the questions in the book were given to a test audience to determine what percentage of average Americans answered each one correctly. The results were startling:

59% of Americans couldn't find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map

74% couldn't explain what the Dow Jones Industrial Average actually is

48% didn't know which U.S. document started with the line, "We the people of the United States ... "

40% couldn't name a language spoken in Iraq

48% thought the Mojave Desert was located on another continent

71% didn't know what U.S.S.R. used to stand for

43% couldn't name the capital of Canada

54% couldn't even name the president pictured on the dime

It all raises provocative questions about the coming Election Day. “How can Americans decide which candidate has the best plan to fix our economy when 74% of us can’t even explain exactly what the Dow Jones Industrial Average actually is?” asks How Dumb Are You? author Adam Winer. “Democracy was founded on the notion that the power to rule should rest with the common man. But what happens when the common man watch too much of “The View?”

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